We desire for the financial integrity of Heartland Church to remain above reproach. In these practices and in all that we do, we strive to honor God’s provision by pursuing wise and faithful stewardship, ethical business practices, and transparent accountability. To that end, we apply the following practices:

Secure offering procedure. To ensure the highest level of accountability, those who count our offering and those who transport it always do so with at least two people present. We also require a different person than the “counter” to transport the funds and maintain a record of the weekly offering.

Pastoral and staff compensation policy. To ensure that our pastoral compensation is fair and not based on a person’s “sense” of value, we consistently compare compensation with comparable churches of similar size. This is not the only item for consideration, but it gives us a helpful starting point and establishes external boundaries. When it comes to pastoral salaries, we remember that the aim of the Heartland has always been—and always will be—to minister to the hurting, to advance the gospel to the lost, and to disciple those in our church family. To that end, we want to ensure that everyone on staff is here because they believe in this mission, not as a way to get wealthy. At the same time, we also want to pay our employees in such a way that they know they are appreciated. In other words, we aim to compensate our pastoral staff generously, but not lavishly.

Robust budgeting process. Pastors and administrators work together to allocate resources in such a way that maximizes kingdom impact and aligns with our church’s vision. Annual budgets represent a collaboration between pastors, administrators, and other ministry leaders.

Open bookpolicy. Our annual operating budget is available in our office. Members of the Heartland are always invited to contact the church with questions or to request an in-person meeting to review more detailed financial information.

External/independent accounting oversight. Heartland Church works very closely with a local accounting firm who provides financial statements and accountability by CPAs. To date, we have fully met their high standards of scrutiny.

Leadership generosity. Generosity is not something that can merely be taught; it must also be caught. Thus we review staff and leaders’ giving regularly to ensure that we are setting faithful examples of gospel-shaped generosity.